Fall 201 5
Volu m e 7, Issu e 3
Condo Connection
Wilson, Blanchard Management Inc. – Condominium Management with Experience and Integrity
www.wilsonblanchard.com
The WB Condo Connection highlights Ontario condominium
related articles and educational items that may be of interest
to Boards of Directors and condo owners. It is published
online
and
available
on
our
website
(www.wilsonblanchard.com) as well as in hard copy format
to each of the members of our Boards of Directors.
We hope you enjoy this edition and we welcome your
comments, suggestions, or article topic requests by email to
[email protected] or by mail to:
Inside This Issue
RIDE BIG. LIVE BIG.
My First Condo.
Did You Know?
Carbon Monoxide – A Cause for Alarm
Welcome!
1
2
2
3
4
Editor – WB Condo Connection
101-701 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON, L8S 1A2
RIDE BIG. LIVE BIG.
A special thanks to our friends and family who supported
our team, and our industry associates:
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of
death for Canadian men and women. On August 27,
2015, twenty-four Wilson, Blanchard Management
employees set out from Jack Astors, Ancaster, to ride
the Heart & Stroke Big Bike to help create more
survivors! Together we raised $8,341.00 towards
heart and stroke research, which will be used to
develop life-saving treatments that bring hope to many
heart disease and stroke patients across Canada.
AM Roofing Systems Inc.
Angus Inground Sprinkler Co.
Arborcorp Tree Experts
Arvin Air Systems
Brantford Aluminum
Brian Horlick
Burlington Carpet Care Services
Burlington Glass & Mirror
Certified Clean Air Services Inc.
Coulter Building Consultants
Diversified Property Maintenance
Dryseal Concrete Solutions
Elia Associates
Enek Electric
Everlast Windows & Doors
Fogler Rubinoff
Garden Grove Landscaping
Gelderman Landscaping
Grindstone Home Improvements
IBX Services
Lock Hut
Naylor Building Partnerships
Paul Dowhaniuk Insurance
Regal Security Inc.
SPG Engineering
Service Master of Oakville
Sure Green Landscaping
Terrana Construction Inc.
TOR-HAM Glass and Mirror
Townsend Plumbing & Heating
Tree Technology
Western Plumbing & Heating
…Cont’d on page 2
Page 2
WB Condo Connection
Cont’d from page 1…
MY FIRST CONDO
By: David Blois
Sr. Property Manager - Toronto
In 1979 the prime interest rate was 15.25%. On the bright
side, the average house price in Toronto was only $70,830
vs. the $1 million mark already surpassed this year, or an
average of $386,874 for condominiums. ACMO was only a
few years old back then and the condominium industry was
just in its infancy.
Fast forward 36 years and there are now soaring 46 storey
condos with nearly 500 suites, boasting beautiful lake and
city views, with amazing amenities, too many to mention . .
. but I’ll attempt it: rooftop club with live entertainment;
private restaurant; guest suites; shuttle bus service to
downtown and shopping; 24 hour Concierge/Security;
gymnasium; tennis court; squash courts; indoor golf
practice facility and outdoor putting green; indoor pool;
billiards room; indoor car wash and a convenience store.
What may come as a real surprise to those who don’t know
of The Palace Pier is that this grand residence at
Lakeshore Boulevard West and the Humber River in
Toronto has been around and has done very nicely indeed,
since before 1979 when I joined the self-managed
condominium as the Assistant Manager of Resident
Services. Having come from a hotel background, it
seemed to be a perfect fit.
I remember one day being in the very large main floor
management office (with a soaring ceiling and many large
windows), when one of the resident owners came in, with
considerable excitement, to introduce me to something
completely new – Wordstar: the first commercially
successful word processing program, which had just been
released that year. (VisiCalc was also the first spreadsheet
program, also invented in 1979.) Looking over at the
resident from behind my IBM electric typewriter, the news
came as quite a revelation. The Sony WALKMAN also saw
its debut in 1979, but some technology just wasn’t destined
for a condominium management office.
DID YOU KNOW?
By: Jill Mark
Property Manager - Toronto
Condominium is a word developed in the 1960’s which
comes from early 18th century: modern Latin, “con”‘together with’ + “dominium” ‘right of ownership’.
The first record of being able to own within a shared
building was in 1881 at the Rembrandt building, a co-op in
midtown New York City. Since the 1960’s, condos have
been a growing housing option for Canadians.
On September 1, 1967, the Ontario Condominium Act went
into effect.
Canada’s first condominium was a 56-unit townhouse
complex known as Brentwood Village in Edmonton
occupied in 1967. Canada’s first high-rise condominium
development was an 11-storey, 124 unit project called
Horizon House in Parkwoods Hills, Ottawa, with occupancy
starting December 1969.
The Trump World Tower in New York was the tallest
residential building in North America in 2001 with 72
storeys; however, this has now been surpassed and 432
Park Avenue in New York City is currently the tallest
residential building in the world, standing at 426 metres
(1398 ft) with several condominium buildings in Dubai
dominating the top ten. Mumbai, India, is considered to be
the most expensive location to buy a condominium in the
world, with average prices of around $10,000 US per
square foot!
http://www.condopedia.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Condo_History
http://news.buzzbuzzhome.com/2014/02/canada-condo-historytimeline.html
http://www.condopedia.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Condo_History
http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/investmentanalysis/Mumbai-housing-is-the-priciest-in-the-developing-world
…Cont’d on page 3
WB Condo Connection
Page 3
Cont’d from page 2…
CARBON MONOXIDE –
A CAUSE FOR ALARM
The introduction of Bill 77 (Hawkins Gignac Act [Carbon
Monoxide Safety], 2013) which became effective October
15, 2014, amended the Fire Protection and Prevention Act
of 1997 to regulate unsafe levels of carbon monoxide,
making the installation and use of CO detectors and alarms
mandatory in homes and residential buildings across
Ontario.
Named in memory of Ontario Provincial Police Constable
Laurie Hawkins (née Gignac), 41, who died alongside her
husband, Richard, 40, their daughter Cassandra, 14, and
son Jordan, 12, as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning in
2008, the Hawkins-Gignac Act serves as a step towards
raising awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide and
the potential tragic hazards of exposure to the toxic gas.
The amendment to the Fire Protection and Prevention Act,
1997 now requires owners of residential buildings in which a
fuel-burning appliance is installed or a storage garage is
located, to install carbon monoxide detectors in the buildings
and to maintain them in operating condition.
FOR CONDOMINIUM BUILDINGS
If you live in a condo or apartment building with a service
room, CO alarms must be installed in the service room
and adjacent to each sleeping area of all homes above,
below and beside the service room. In condo or
apartment buildings that have a garage, CO alarms must
be installed adjacent to each sleeping area of all homes
above, below and beside the garage.
FOR HOMES AND TOWNHOUSES
“The law requires that you have a working CO alarm
adjacent to each sleeping area of the home if your home
has a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached
garage,” said Burlington Fire Chief Tony Bavota. “For added
protection, install a carbon monoxide alarm on every storey
of the home according to manufacturer’s instructions.” Fuelburning appliances can include furnaces, hot water heaters,
gas or wood fireplaces, portable fuel-burning heaters and
generators, barbeques, stoves and vehicles.
“In Ontario, more than 80% of injuries and
deaths from CO occur in the home,” said
Chief Bavota. “We want to make sure
everyone is safe from CO. Install CO alarms,
and do everything you can to prevent CO in
your home in the first place.”
Images and text courtesy of COsafety.ca and TSSA
Page 4
WB Condo Connection
Cont’d from page 3…
Testing
 It is recommended that carbon monoxide alarms
be tested monthly or in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions.
Batteries:
 Replace batteries in carbon monoxide alarms
once a year or whenever the low-battery warning
sounds.
 Know the difference between a low-battery
warning and an emergency alarm – consult the
CO alarm manufacturer’s instructions.
Replace CO alarms:
 In accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions.
 Know what the “end-of-life” warning sounds like –
consult the CO alarm manufacturer’s instructions.
Landlords:
 Landlords are responsible to ensure working
carbon monoxide alarms are installed and
maintained in their rental properties.
 The law requires landlords to test CO alarms in
rental units annually and when the battery is
replaced, changes are made to the electric circuit
or a change in tenancy occurs. CO alarms must
be tested by pressing the test button.
 The law requires landlords to provide CO alarm
manufacturer’s maintenance instructions to
tenants.
101-701 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON
L8S 1A2
Phone:
905-540-8800
Fax:
905-540-4450
Email:
[email protected]
Tenants:
 The law requires tenants to notify the landlord
if the CO alarm is inoperable.
 It is against the law for tenants to remove the
batteries or tamper with the alarm in any way.
Exposure to CO can cause flu-like symptoms.
If your CO alarm sounds, and you or other
occupants suffer from symptoms of CO poisoning,
get everyone out of the home immediately. Then
call 9-1-1 or your local emergency services
number from outside the building.
If your CO alarm sounds, and no one is suffering
from symptoms of CO poisoning, check to see if
the battery needs replacing, or the alarm has
reached its "end-of-life" before calling 9-1-1.
Visit www.COsafety.ca for more information
Welcome!
Know the sound of your CO alarm:
 Your CO alarm sounds different than your
Wilson, Blanchard would like to welcome our newest
smoke alarm. Test both alarms monthly and
managed properties:
make sure everyone in your home knows the
H.C.C. 230
H.S.C.C. 597
difference between the two alarm sounds.
W.N.C.C. 68
H.C.E.C.C. 606

Don’t
be
confused215
by the sound of your CO
W.C.C.43
W.S.C.C.
alarm’s M.T.C.C.
low-battery
warning. Follow your CO
W.C.C. 309
1359
alarm
manufacturer’s
W.S.C.C. 524 W.C.E.C.C. 593 instructions so you
know the
difference
B.S.C.C. 71
3330
Mainwaybetween the low-battery
warning,
the
“end-of-life” warning, and the
H.C.C. 170
2172 Wyecroft
alarm alerting you to the presence of CO in
your home.
1. within two years of the dispute in question, unless
206-16 Four Seasons Place
200-149 Ainslie Street North
Toronto, ONthe Tribunal Garden
Cambridge,
Courts ON
M9B 6E5
Phone:
416-642-2807
Fax:
416-642-2810
Email:
[email protected]
Newsletter Editor Email:
[email protected]
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